PC for teenage beginner?

muffler

Guys, hopefully some of you experts will be able to help me with a little problem. I have a 13-year-old grandson who has decided to invest in a desktop PC (confirmation money) and like most lads his age gaming is the priority. But he would also intend using it for his college work so I suppose some sort of all round computer is what he needs. I’m trying to help him out here but I’m useless at this stuff.

His budget will be around €700 - €800 but he might even stretch to a wee bit above that. It would be preferable if the PC was ready to plug and play but “self-assembly” may also be possible. A good second-hand PC isn’t out of the question or something fairly basic that can be upgraded at a later date is also an option. What would you guys advise or would you have any suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

Spear

Speaking generally, pre-builts from the like of Dell/Lenovo etc, tend to use proprietary parts, which will be an obstacle to upgrading it in the long term. Proprietary PSUs and connectors mean they can't be upgraded, so other more power hungry parts in turn can't be upgraded either, that kind of thing. This applies whether second hand or new too.

Self assembly would be a good educational opportunity though.

The big issue is still GPU prices, which are still inflated after the pandemic. Even a midrange one like an RTX 3060 is half the budget alone.

The good news at least, is that most games kids love, like Minecraft/Fortnite/Roblox aren't demanding and don't need much in the way of horse power.

the_amazing_raisin

I feel like for the price range you mentioned something like a Steam Deck would be the best bang for your buck in terms of gaming power at the moment

It looks like a bigger Nintendo Switch and can be used as a handheld console for gaming

It can be used in a dock and connected to a keyboard, mouse and monitor like a normal PC. That's how I use mine since I play more strategy games with it. I tend to use the PS5 for shooter type games

However, since you mentioned using it for school work, that adds a bit of a complication. A Steam Deck runs Linux, which is great if you want to learn programming but less ideal for doing stuff like typing up essays since it won't run Microsoft Office

He could use something like Google Docs (which is also free) or a Linux based office suite like LibreOffice

It's also possible to dual boot Windows which would give him access to all the Microsoft stuff if he really needs it. That would be something of a project, so it depends on how interested he is in pursuing that

Another option again would be a Steam Deck for gaming and a really cheap laptop for working. The mid range deck is €570 and a very basic laptop can be bought for under €300 which might be within budget

It might be good to ask what kind of work he'd be using it for

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122113106#Comment_122113106

Thanks Spear. I was talking to him earlier and he is thinking of possibly building his own….well someone else will probably do it for him if he sources the various components. He's been pricing parts and they aint cheap but then again you pay for what you get.

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122113329#Comment_122113329

Thanks for that. Plenty to think about.

Actually I never heard of a steam deck before now. I had a quick look at one on Amazon and it looks similar to one of those Nintendo hand held consoles but certainly worth mentioning it to him.

If any of you spot a half decent desktop PC in the next week or two just let me know. Cheers

Spear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122118106#Comment_122118106

Assembly is fairly trivial, takes maybe an hour or so, and it's a good learning experience, and will help have some respect for it given that he's a teenager after all.